Ivan Kariasin

Ivan Kariasin (7 January 1941-) was a colonel of the Soviet Union. He was stationed in Nicaragua to assist the Sandinistas during the Nicaraguan Civil War, and was one of the men who fought against American special forces operative John Slade when he entered the country.

Biography
Kariasin was born on 7 January 1941, and became an officer of the Red Army. By 1988 he was a colonel, and he was posted in Nicaragua as an adviser to the communist Sandinistas, who were fighting a civil war with the United States-backed capitalist Contras. While there, he took the passport of Canadian photographer Steven Lafargue, as the real Lafargue died of terminal cancer three months before the arrival of the new one. He found out that he was John Slade, an American special forces operative, and sent the Sandinistas out to hunt for him.

After Slade killed all of his Nicaraguan counterpart Santiago's patrols and found his way through the underground tunnels, Kariasin began to doubt the man's ability to stop Slade from getting into their outpost. Santiago responded by pointing out that there were sentries posted everywhere. Kariasin also told Santiago that he believed that the man came for Frank Morris, but his counterpart told him that the man did not know where Morris was.

Later, Kariasin met with Morris, who had been forced to learn Russian while in captivity. Kariasin told him that his charges of espionage and purchasing information from a Sandinista officer were both punishable by death, but Morris told him that both of them knew that he was worth more to him alive than dead. Kariasin made him an offer: if he would give Kariasin an interview and reveal American involvement in Central America, he would give him his freedom after one week, a high-class plane ticket to Miami, and $50,000 in American dollars. Morris told him that although that was more than he earned in three years of being a journalist, truth was a premium, and he would not be bought out. He said that he would not be Pravda or TASS for him, and spat on his face after insulting him. Kariasin called down Santiago and his men, who beat Morris up. Kariasin withdrew his offer, and pushed his cigar against his cheek, torturing him.